Gas generator



2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VENTOR.

ATTORNEYS p 1939. w. R. ROBINSON 2,171,893

GAS GENERATO R Filed Aug. 13, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. M4019 ffiaa/mfow ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 5, 1939 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAS GENERATOR William R. Robinson, Niles, Ohio Application August 13, 1938, Serial No. 224,821

3 Claims.

livered to the stove or other gas-consuming apparatus.

These gas generators have the serious objection that when the motor which drives the blower is stopped, with the consequent reduction in air pressure in the air delivery pipe to atmospheric, the generated gas in the tank is under pressure and as this generated gas is above the top surface of the liquid fuel and exerts pressure thereon, it is frequently the case that the pressure la sufiicient to drive a considerable amount of the liquid fuel into the air delivery pipe extending from the blower, with the result that at times there is leakage of the liquid fuel past the blower or at least such an obstruction of the air delivery pipe that when the motor is again energized the blower is incapable of delivering air to the liquid fuel in the intended manner until the liquid fuel is drained from the air delivery pipe.

The principal object of the present invention is to overcome the above defect of disadvantage.

After considerable experimentation I have succeeded in solving the problem very effectively by the provision of one or more valves so arranged as to prevent the flow of liquid fuel into the air delivery pipe when the blower is stopped.

The invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts which will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended claims.

Fig. l is a vertical sectional View of one form of gas generator to which my invention in its preferred form is applied;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on an enlarged scale through the float, the section being taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale showing particularly the valve at the upper end of the standpipe which projects upwardly through the bottom of the tank;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale showing particularly the valve which is provided at the upper end of the tube which is attached to the float; and

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the same .5

substantially along the line 6-6 of Fig, 5.

Referring now to the drawings, l0 represents a metal tank which is generally of cylindrical form,

the same being provided with a bottom closure I l and a top closure l2, and somewhat near the top with a transverse partition l3 forming a lower compartment A and an upper compartment B. The compartment A has an inlet 14 a suitable distance above the bottom closure II for supplying liquid fuel a quantity of which is shown in the lower part of the compartment and is designated l5. Near the bottom closure II the tank has a normally closed outlet 16 for draining the liquid fuel from the compartment. For a purpose to be explained, the upper compartment B is adapted z to be sup-plied with aquantity of water 11, this compartment having a water inlet 18 and a water drain l9. At the extreme top of the tank above the top closure I2 there is a cover member 20 forming an air delivery compartment C. The;

cover member 2!! forms a support for an electric motor 2| with a vertical shaft the lower end of which is attached to an impeller or blower 22 adapted to rotate in a housing 23 attached to the lower side of the cover member 20. livered from the housing into the air delivery compartment C and from this compartment the air is delivered by piping 24 Which extends downwardly along the outer side of the tank across to the latter andthen is extended upwardly for a suitable distance into the compartment A, this extension constituting an air delivery standpipe 25.

For delivery of air into the liquid fuel there is provided a hollow metal float 26 provided with an upstanding tubular extension 21 which fits loosely over the standpipe with an annular air space between the extension and the standpipe substantially as illustrated, the extension passing down through the float to the bottom thereof. The air which is delivered by the blower passes down the pipe 24 and up through the standpipe 25 and out the upper end thereof into the annular space D. From this annular space D it is delivered into the gasoline by a series of curved air delivery nozzles 28 which extend through the float with their inner ends communicating with the annular space D and with their outer portions curved. The weight of the Air is de- "the center of the bottom closure where it enters float is such that the major portion of it is in the body of liquid fuel and the delivery ends of the nozzles 28 are always under the surface of the liquid fuel. The delivery of air in this manner through the nozzles causes the float to rotate and this adds to the efficiency of the gas generation. The air thus delivered into the liquid fuel and passing upwardly through the top surface thereof creates the combustible gas mixture which passes up into and fills the compartment A. From the top of the compartment A the gas or combustible mixture is delivered by a pipe 29 through the body of water H in compartment B, this pipe being in the form of a gooseneck with a downwardly curved delivery end which delivers the generated gas against the surface of the water so that it will pick up some moisture and increase the B. t. u. of the gas. From compartment B the gas containing some moisture is delivered by a pipe 30 to the gas-consuming apparatus or to a manometer if such should be found desirable.

The gas generator above described per se is not my invention but I have illustrated the same because my invention has proved to have particular utility when applied to the same, but I wish it to be understood that my invention may be employed to advantage with gas producers differing in detail from that illustrated and described above but operating generally on the same principle.

I will next describe the parts more directly involving my invention. As stated in the early part of the specification, when the blower is stopped the gas pressure which is built up in the tank, i.e., not only in compartment A but also in compartment B, is great enough that unless it is controlled or checked it will force the liquid fuel up into the annular space D between the standpipe 25 and the float tube 21 from which it flows down through the tube 25 and up into the air delivery pipe 24 and at times floods the air delivery compartment C and the blower, causing leakage of fuel therefrom. This I have very effectively prevented by the provision of suitable valve means. While I do not desire to be confined to the particular valve or valves illustrated, in this instance I have shown for the purpose of accomplishing the aim of this invention, i.e., for controlling the gas pressure in the tank and pre venting the flooding of the air delivery pipe and the leakage of liquid fuel, two valves 3| and 32 which are illustrated in Fig. 1, the valve 3| being shown also in Figs. 3 and 4 and the valve 32 in Figs. 5 and 6. The valve 3| which is a check valve is provided at the top of the standpipe 25, and the valve 32 which is a reversely acting check valve is provided at the top of the float tube 21.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, it Will be noted that the valve 3| includes a sleeve 33 with a reduced portion which is tightly fitted ,into the upper end of the standpipe 25, the upper end of the sleeve forming a seat adapted to be engaged by a valve disk 34 which has a limited range of movement permitted by a wire cage 35 which is secured to and projects upwardly above the sleeve 33. As will be seen, the valve disk is adapted to be seated by gravity and to be lifted from its seat by pressure beneath it, as, for example, the air pressure and the flow of air which is impelled by the motor driven blower 22 when it is in operation.

Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6, it will be seen that the valve 32 consists of a sleeve or plug 36 which is tightly fitted into the upper end of the float tube 21. The lower end of the sleeve or plug 36 forms a seat for a valve disk 31 having a limited range of movement toward and away from the seat permitted by a wire cage 38 which is secured to the lower side of the sleeve or plug. This valve disk is unseated by gravity, in which case it occupies the position shown in Fig. 5, and of course it is adapted to be unseated by gas pressure on the upper face of the disk and is designed to be seated by air pressure exerted on the lower side of the disk,

The normal positions of the valves 3| and 32 being as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 respectively, it will be seen that when the blower is started in operation, in which case air will be delivered at a pressure greater than whatever gas pressure there may be in the tank, the unseating of the lower valve 3| and the seating of the upper valve 32 occur, with the result that the air will pass through the valve 3| down through the space D between the standpipe 25 and the float tube 21 and will enter the nozzles 28 of the float, and will then pass through the liquid fuel so as to generate the gas in the intended manner. However, as soon as the blower is stopped, the valve 3| is closed, with the result that even if liquid fuel were forced up through the annular space D it Would be prevented by the valve 3| from passing down through the standpipe 25. However, it will not rise up through the annular space D for the reason that as soon as the blower is stopped and the pressure has dropped sufficiently the valve 32 is unseated so as to admit pressure inside the float tube 21 and thus perform the dual function of equalizing the pressure on the inside and on the outside of the tube 27 and at the same time exerting pressure on the valve disk 34 so as to assist gravity in keeping it firmly seated. This is an important feature or function of the combination which I have provided particularly as it is desired to use in the valve 3| a light movable Valve member which is unseated by air pressure which rarely exceeds a few ounces. Therefore, when the pressure in the standpipe 21 is reduced following the stopping of the blower resulting in the seating of the movable member of valve 3|, the additional seating force obtained by the pressure of the gas coming down through the port of the valve 32 is useful in insuring a firm seating or tight closure of valve 3|, particularly if there happens to be on the valve seat a small foreign particle which would tend to prevent a firm seating. Thus it will be seen that the objects of the invention are attained very effectively.

While I have shown one embodiment of the invention, I do not desire to be confined to the precise details illustrated but aim in my claims to cover all modifications which do not involve a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a gas generator, a tank adapted to be supplied with a quantity of liquid fuel, a blower with an air delivery pipe leading therefrom and terminating in a standpipe extending upwardly into the tank from the bottom, a float adapted to be supported in said liquid fuel and having a tubular extension which surrounds said standpipe and having means for delivering air into the body of liquid fuel whereby a combustible gaseous mixture is formed and is collected in the tank under pressure determined by the pressure of air delivered by the blower, and means automatically effective when the blower is stopped for preventing the pressure of the gaseous mixture on the liquid fuel from forcing the latter into the upper end of the standpipe, said means including a check valve at the upper end of the standpipe and a port or opening in the upper part of said tubular extension.

2. In a gas generator, a tank adapted to be supplied with a quantity of liquid fuel, a blower with an air delivery pipe leading therefrom and terminating in a standpipe extending upwardly into the tank from the bottom, a float adapted to be supported in said liquid fuel and having a tubular extension which surrounds said standpipe and having means for delivering air into the body of liquid fuel whereby a combustible gaseous mixture is formed and is collected in the tank under pressure determined by the pressure of air delivered by the blower, and means automatically effective when the blower is stopped for preventing the pressure of the gaseous mixture on the liquid fuel from forcing the latter into the upper end of the standpipe, said means including a normally closed valve at the upper end of said tubular extension and adapted to be opened when the blower is stopped and a check valve in the standpipe.

3. In a gas generator, a tank adapted to be supplied with a quantity of liquid fuel, a blower with an air delivery pipe leading therefrom and terminating in a standpipe extending upwardly into the tank from the bottom, a float adapted to be supported in said liquid fuel and having a tubular extension which surrounds said standpipe and having means for delivering air into the body of liquid fuel whereby a combustible gaseous mixture is formed and is collected in the tank under pressure determined by the pressure of air delivered by the blower, and means automatically effective when the blower is stopped for preventing the pressure of the gaseous mixture on the liquid fuel from forcing the latter into the upper end of the standpipe, said means including a valve at the upper end of the standpipe and a valve at the upper end of the tubular extension, said first named valve being automatically closed and the second named valve being automatically opened when the blower is stopped.

WILLIAM R. ROBINSON. 

